Fable Video Game Review for the XBox

Finally the game that everyone has been talking about has hit the shelves. Fable for the XBox has gone through many name changes, but it had originally started out as Project Ego; which is fitting considering how vain the character is. Fable is a model game worthy of being a prototype for the games of the future. Granted the developers did not achieve all of the goals that they had set forth in the beginning, but they weren't afraid to reach for the stars. One of the features that they were trying for in Fable, but could not accomplish, was direct competition between other heroes for both infamy and missions. This would have pushed the player into taking on and completing the missions faster than they otherwise would so that the other heroes would not get to them first. While this added competition would have been interesting the fact that they could not implement it does not in any way adversely affect the game. Fable is a fairly straightforward action game with plenty of extras to grab your attention and hold onto it.

You begin the game as a little boy in a town called Oakvale. Your father offers you some money for all of the good deeds that you do. Throughout the town there will be people in need of your help which will help you earn some of that money. It is also your sister's birthday so you need to use that money to buy her a gift. Once you give your sister her present the story line begins. Your town is attacked and your father is killed. Bandits then seize your mother and your sister. You are left all alone in a town that is on fire. Then a man appears and offers to help you. He takes you to a place called the Heroes' Guild where you will learn to become a hero.

At the Heroes' Guild you will meet a young girl who is also in training. Her character was meant to be one of the heroes that you would have been in direct competition with had they been able to implement that aspect of the game. However there is still a bit of competition between the two of them, but it does not alter the story line. She will be your sparring partner. You will also be working with the Guild Master, he will train you in all of the combat techniques. Your character will begin aging at this time and continue aging as the story progresses.

Once you have finished all of the training you will be able to take on missions. These missions will increase your renown, experience, and your pocket book. You will have the choice to take missions for the good side or the bad side and depending on that choice your character will become good or evil. Your appearance will change depending on what type of person you choose to be. If you are good you will be covered in a white light and butterflies will fly around you. If you choose evil then your eyes will glow red and red smoke will appear around your character.

The story itself is leading you up to avenging your family's death and capture. You will find out bits and pieces about what happened that night in Oakvale and why it happened.

Everyone has a certain style of fighting that they like to use in games. Some prefer magic and others like to cut enemies apart with edged weapons. In this game your preferred style of fighting will have an impact on the character's appearance and abilities. If magic is your choice then the character will age much faster and physical combat will become difficult. If using weapons like a sword or a club is more your style then the character will beef up and probably end up with more scars. Whatever the choice your character will change accordingly. You will also gain experience points in the type of fighting style that you use when killing your enemies. These points will boost your ability in that fighting category allowing you to kill your enemies with more skill and ease.

You can buy titles that you want your character to go by. The title that you choose will determine what people call you; you can change the title at any time by just buying a new one. There are titles more appropriate for evil characters and titles for good characters. If your character is a good hero then the people in the villages will come up to you more often and women will want to marry you (men too). If your character is evil then people will run from you more often and it is harder to find a wife. Either way your name will be known all over the world.

The fighting in this game is really simple. You will be given a choice to use a weapon like a bow and arrow which takes more skill or use a sword which takes more brute force. The bow is mostly used when you do not want to be detected by your enemies or your enemies are too far away. The bow is the hardest weapon to use. Using the edged weapons or blunt objects are very easy to master, but that also depends on what size, shape, etc. the weapon is. You need to get a weapon that is fitting to your character's strength and skill. The magic is also very easy to master and is the best part of the fighting once you have upgraded the power levels.

Missions are not the only thing that this game has to offer. There are hidden objects all over the place. Be sure to buy a spade and a fishing pole because these will be helpful in uncovering important hidden items. There is also a status screen that will keep track of all of the things that your character has done (including how many times he has had sex). You can marry multiple people, become a widow, get a divorce, buy property, and the list just continues.

The graphics are outstanding, the details to the scenery were meticulously thought out and employed to perfection. The world of Albion is huge and each part of the world is unique so that one place looks completely different from another. The characters are also very unique with a great variety of them to encounter. Even with all of this detail the game very rarely encounters any slowdown. The sound for the game is nothing to balk at; the acting is well done and the soundtrack sets the perfect tone. Nearly everything about this game was perfectly orchestrated.

This game has some great replay value. You can continue working on your stats by marrying more and more people or you can buy up all of the properties. There is no limit to how long you can play this game; although it does become a bit monotonous.

There should be nothing stopping you from running out and renting this game right now; I guarantee that you will enjoy it. To watch the story line unfold is nail biting suspense; you can't wait to find out what happens next.

Miranda Stites, HeroesOfGaming.com
Heroes of Gaming: Video Game News
"Saving Good People From Bad Games"
http://www.heroesofgaming.com/games/xbox/f/fable/fable_rev.htm